US conducts a new nuclear bomb flight test

The B61-12 nuclear bomb could soon be refurbished and ready for use, according to data that scientists received from a March 14 test drop of the mock nuclear bomb — the first in a new series of tests to be conducted over the next three years.

Who: Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico have been analyzing the data, and after witnessing "a mere puff of dust rising from a dry lake bed at Nevada's Tonopah Test Range," they deemed it to be a success.

What's next: The first version of the B61-12 is estimated to be ready in 2020.

Get smarter: This bomb is much different than the MOAB that was dropped on Afghanistan in that it is designed to penetrate its target, whereas the MOAB targets a larger area and has to be carried by a much larger plane.